Apparatus which facilitates the cleaning of venetian blinds



Feb. 10, 1953 E. F. HUSAM APPARATUS WHICH FACILITATES THE CLEANING OF VENETIAN BLINDS Filed NOV. 25, 194l9 JNVENTOR l 5 EMM www /l f Y Patented Feb. 10, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS WHICH FACILITATES THE CLEANING F VENETIAN BLINDS' 1 Claim. l

This invention relates to improvements in cleaning apparatus. More particularly this invention relates to improvements in apparatus which facilitates the cleaning of Venetian blinds.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved device that can facilitate the cleaning of Venetian blinds.

Venetian blinds are useful and attractive, but they do tend to collect dirt and dust from the air. When covered with dirt or dust the Venetian blinds lose much of their attractiveness; in some instances becoming unsightly and detracting from the over-al1 appearance of the decorations of a room. Efforts are customarily made by householders to remove the dust or dirt from Venetian blinds; and some of those eiiorts include placing a cleaning mitten or a cleaning cloth in contact with the tops and bottoms of the various slats of the blinds, and moving that mitten or cloth along the lengths of those slats to wipe off the dirt or dust. The principal defects in this method of cleaning are: rst, the mitten or cloth cannot clean the tapes of the Venetian blinds, and Venetian blinds with dirty tapes and clean slats are but little better than Venetian blinds that are dirty throughout; and second, the mitten or cloth will either sweep the dirt land dust from the slats onto the tapes or will actually engage those tapes and directly transfer that dirt and dust to those tapes. The usual results of such cleaning efforts are Venetian blinds with tapes that are dirtier than ever.

Other efforts yat cleaning Venetian blinds include separating the slats from the tapes, and separating both the slats and tapes from the actuating mechanism and support; and then washing theslats and tapes until they 'are free of dirt and dust. The separation of the tapes and slats from each other, and from the actuating mechanism and support, are time-consuming and diicult operations; and the subsequent reassembly of the tapes and slats with each other and with the actuating mechanism and support is even more diilicult and time-consuming. As a result, Venetian blinds are seldom cleaned in this manner.

Still other efforts at cleaning Venetian blinds include placing the slats and tapes of the Venetian blinds bodily within large tanks of cleaning solution. However such tanks, and the large quantities of cleaning solution required therefor, necessitate a large investment of money. For these reasons, prior elforts at cleaning Venetian blinds have proven to be objectionable. The present invention obviates these objections by providing a cleaning device which obviates any need of large tanks and large quantities of cleaning solution, obviates any need of disassembling the Venetian blinds, and obviates any possibility ofl dirt or dust from the slats getting onto the tapes. Such a cleaning device thus assures simple, inexpensive, and effective cleaning of Venetian blinds. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved cleaning device which permits cleaning of the tapes and slats of Venetian blinds without necessitating disassembly of the Venetian blinds, without necessitating large cleaning tanks, and without permitting dirt or dust from the slats to get onto the tapes.

The cleaning device provided by the present invention is enabled to facilitate cleaning of the tapes of Venetian blinds because it has a portion thereof thatcan underlie those tapes and keep Water or cleaning solution from running onto the slats. As a result, the tapes can be thoroughly cleaned without any danger of getting dirty Water or cleaning solution on the slats. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning device which has a portion that can underlie the tapes of Venetian blinds and keep dirty water or cleaning solution from running onto the slats.

To be capable of underlying the tapes of Venetian blinds, the underlying portions of the cleaning devices must have recesses that can receive the cross tapes of the Venetian blind tapes. However, the spacings between the cross tapes of different Veneti-an blind tapes vary rather widely and would seem to make necessary a number of diiferent cleaning devices with recesses spaced at dilerent distances. By providing a cleaning device which has a number of wide, properly spaced recesses, -the present invention enables one cleaning device to fit the cross tapes of all standard Venetian blind tapes. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning device with a number of wide recesses that are properly spaced to receive the cross tapes of dilferent Venetian blind tapes.

The cleaning device provided by the present invention is enabled to keep dust and dirt on the slats from contacting the Venetian blind tapes, because it has portions that extend outwardly beyond and enclose the sides of those tapes. Consequently the cleaning mittens and cleaning cloths cannot sweep dirt and dust from the slats onto the tapes and they cannot directly contact those tapes. As a result, the cleaning of the slats can proceed without any danger of dirtying the slats. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning device with portions that can extend outwardly'beyond and enclose a Venetian blind tape. Y

The portions of the cleaning device that enclose the sides of Venetian blind tapes are preferably hinged to those portions of the cleaning device which underlie those tapes. Where this is done, those portions of the cleaning device, which enclose the sides of the Venetian blind tapes during the cleaning of the slats, can be folded outwardly to further protect the slats against the water or cleaning solution used in cleaning the tapes of the Venetian blinds. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning device with hinged portions that selectively protect the tapes and slats of Venetian blinds.

Other objects and advantages ofthepresent invention should become apparent from Van examination of the drawing and accompanying description.

In the drawing and accompanyingdescription several preferred embodiments of the present invention are shown and described but it is to'be understood that the drawing and accompanying description are for'the purpose of illustration-- onlyand do not limit 'the-invention' and that theA4 invention' will be defined by the appendedv claim;r

In the drawing- Fig. 1 isa front Velevational view of; a portion` of `a Venetian `blind and-'it rshows twoof *the cleaning devices, provided by vthe invention,- assembled"with` the tapes of that blind,

Fig. 2 is a rear elevational view of one-'of the cleaning -devices of Fig. l,A as that device-is fas'- sembledwith' a Venetian blind wherein thecrosstapes of@ theV Venetian vblind Vtape-are spaced apart three and one^eighth-(3%) inches.-

Fig. 3is a Arear elevationalv'view of the clean-J ingv device shown in Fig. 2, as that device'is astapesf are spaced apart fourfol)I inches;-

Figf-e is-aV front elevational view of a-Venetian blindtapewith which are "assembled-the two meral Il) `denotes an elongated plate'that folded to have a J-shaped cong'uration'; Thefront portion of the folded plate-I 'is approxi# mately twice as wideas therear portion `of 'that plate, and ythe-two portions are spaced apart tor 50 form a vrecess thatican accommodatean edge of a Venetian blind tape v24. The recess will pref` erablyfconfine that vedge of thatitape rather* closely; that plate overlying all'of the front-4 and one half of the rear of that type. The rear portion of plate I0 and the rearportion of a plate I2, which is similar to plate IIJand is pivoted to that plate, will abut eachother when those plates are rotated toward each other about the pivot I4. Those rear portions can', however, be moved away from each other, as by rotating the folded plates II) and l2 away from each other around the pivot I4. The rear portions-of the plates IG and I2 will coact to form a protective sheath that is coextensive with the rear of the tape 24 of the Venetian blind; and the front portion of the plate Ii) will overlie the front portion of plate i2' aswell as the front of the Venetian blind tape 2d. The folds of plates Ill and I2 will overlie and protect the edges of the Venetian blind tape 24.

A number of notches I6 of one; half (1/2) inch depth are provided in the free edge of the rear portion of the folded plate Ill, and a small downwardly depending projection` I8'is provided at the upper, outer'edge'of ea'clrsuch notch.' The v sembled withy a' Venetian blind1 wherein the -cres's- 4 notches I6 are of uniform depth but varying width and they are spaced apart at varying distances; as for example, the uppermost notch I6 of plate I0 will preferably `be three quarters 0%) inch wide and will be disposed two and one half (2K2) inches above the second notch I6 o f plate I0. That second notch will preferably be three eighths (f5/8) of an inch wide and will be disposed seven eighths of an inch above the third notch; .that third notch I6 being ve sixteenths (fe) of an inch wide. The fourth notch Iwill be one half (1/2) of an inch wide and it will preferably be one and nine sixteenths (his) inches below the third notch and one and nine sixteenths (ills) inches above the fth notch `I 6:` That fifth notch willbe-velsixteenths of an inch'wide and will be three quarters-1 of aninch above the sixth notch4 ISL That?y sixth notch will'be-three quarters (3/4) of an inchv` wide and will be two and threesixteenths met) inches above the seventh notch;l that seventh' notch I6 being ve eighths 0%) of-an inch wide.:- The eighth notchri is three eighths l(W3) Lof-'Tan inch-belowthe seventhV notch I6, and it will pref; erably'be ve'sixteent-hs (Tse) of an inch'vwide." The freeedge of the rearportion of folded plateff I2'also has notches; those notches beingdenoted bythe number 20. Downwardly depending pro`I` jections 22, similar to the projections I8, are pro-'- vided -at the upper, outer edges'of each' of fthe notches 25k The notches 20 also are of 'one half-i` (1/2) inch depth and are ofvarying width; those# notches being spaced apart at varying distances.` Theuppermost notch 20 of plate I2 will prefer-'f ably beone half (1/2) of an inch .wide and it Vwilli betwo Yand fifteen'sixteenths (Zee) rinches above: the second notch- 20; That second notch will befthree quarters (i3/2;) of an inch wide, and it l will be two and one half- (21/2) inches above the third notch 2l); that third notch being three eighths (f/lof-an inch wide. The third notch- Ziwillbe seven eighths V("1/8) ofan inch above the fourthnotch 2U; that fourth notchf-beingf live-'sixteenths (g) -`of an inch' wide.l The fifth-*- notch'ZBwill'beYone-half (1/2) of an inch wide andl itwill be one and ninesixteenths (195V inches below the fourth? notch-20.? TheV fifthl notch A`will beone Vand nine sixteenths (11%) of an-"inchabovethefsixth notch 20, and that sixth-- notch-will be five sixteenths of an inch wideil Theiseventh notch f 2B will be three quarters* of fan 'inch wide, and it will be three quarters 1V(fbi) of an inch belowthe vsixth notch 20; The eighthnotch 2Q will beive eighths (5/8) of an inch wide and will be two and three sixteenths (Zeg) inches below'theY seventh notch; and they ninth notch 20 will be ve sixteenths (Tis), `of an' inch wide and' will 'be three eighths'(%) oan"- inchi'below the eighth notch 20.

It has'been determined-that the cross 'tapes'of most commercially available Venetian blind tapes. haveoneof four '(4) uniform spacingsr Some of.w those Venetian blind tapes have the cross tapes. spaced three Yand one eighth (3%) 'inches apart.v others have the cross tapes spaced three andorre quarter '(31/11) `inches apart', others have the cross tapesspa'ced three and three'eighths (3%) inches f apart, and still Vother'Veneti'ari blind tapes have. the'crosstapes spaced four inches (4).' apart.` Thespacingreferred to is the vspacing between the cross tapes at one or the other side-.oftheH Venetian blind tape; the lspacing between alternatefcross tapes at opposite-sidesof the Venetianv blind tapebeing one vhalf (1/2)of that spacingA When 'the notches `I6and`20"of "the folded plates I0 and VI2 are dimensioned and spaced as described, those notches can telescope over and receive the cross tapes of most commercially available Venetian blind tapes. For example, as shown in Fig. 2, the folded plates IG and I2 can have their notches I6 and 2li interiitted with the cross tapes of a Venetian blind tape 24 wherein the cross tapes 26 and 21 at the sides of that tape are spaced apart three and one eighth (3l/8) inches. As Fig. 2 shows, the rst, second, fourth, sixth and seventh notches I6 of the folded plate I0 will receive cross tapes 26 of the Venetian blind tape 24; and the first, second, third, fth, seventh and eighth notches 2U of the folded plate I2 will receive cross tapes 21 of the Venetian blind tape 24. The projections I9 and 22 will be disposed inwardly of the inner edges of the cross tapes 26 and 21, and they will prevent accidental separation of the folded plates I6 and I2 from those cross tapes. The inner edges of the notches I6 and 20 may engage and slightly bend the outer edges of the cross tapes 26 and 21, but such bending is not objectionable. As shown in Fig. 3, those same folded plates I6 and I2 can be assembled with a Venetian blind tape 25 wherein the cross tapes 26 and 21 are spaced apart four (4) inches respectively. The

rst, third, fifth and seventh notches 20 of the folded plate I2 will receive cross tapes 21 of the Venetian blind tape 25. Although not shown in the drawing, the same folded plates I and I2 can receive and telescope over the cross tapes of Venetian blind tapes wherein the cross tapes are spaced apart either three and one quarter (3l/4) inches or three and three eighths (3%) inches.

An examination of Figs. 2 and 3 will show that the cross tapes 26 and 21 are not always adjacent the upper edges of the notches I6 and 20 of folded plates Ill and I2. It is because of this fact that those notches have to be as wide as they are, and have to be spaced from each other at those varying distances. The wide notches provided by the present invention facilitate the intertting of the folded plates IU and I2 with the cross tapes of the various Veneti-an blind tapes. The front portion of the folded plate I2 will be one and one half (l1/2) inches wide and the rear portion of that plate will be slightly less than three quarters (9%1) of an inch wide. The

front portion of the folded plate IB will be slight-` ly more than one and one half (l1/2) inches wide; and the rear portion of that plate will be slightly less than three quarters of an inch wide. When formed and dimensionedv in this manner, the folded -plates I0 and I2 can enclose the front, rear, and sides of Venetian blind tapes; most such tapes being one and one half (l1/2) inches wide. The front portions of the plates I6 and I2 overlie the front of those tapes, and the rear portion of those plates overlie the rear of those tapes, and the folds of those plates overlie the sides of those tapes.

The folded plates IIJ and I2 will preferably be made of a lightweightmetal such as aluminum or magnesium or of a stiff, readily cleaned, plastic material such as nylon, Lucite, or Plexiglas. Such folded plates can easily be handled by anyone and they will not constitute an appreciable load for the cords of theVenetian blinds.

The folded plates I6 and I2 can rotate about the pivot I4 to separate the free edges of the rear portions of those plates. Once those edges have been separated it is an easy matter to insert the free edge of the rear portion of plate I2 between the Venetian blind tape 24 and the slats 28 of the Venetian blind. Thereafter the folded plate II) can be rotated toward the plate I2 ;v care being taken to insure insertion of the free edge of the rear portion of plate I0 between the Venetian blind tape 24 and the slats 28 of the blind. At such time the cross tapes 26 will fit into the notches I6 of plate Ill and the cross tapes 21 will fit into the notches 20 of plate I2. The projections I8 and 22 will be disposed inwardly of the cross tapes 26 and 21 and will hold those cross tapes within those notches. When the confronting edges of the rear portions of the plates IU and I2 abut, the front, sides and most of the rear of the tapes 24 will be enclosed and protected. Consequently, a cleaning mitten or clean-v ing cloth can be used to remove dirt and dust from the slats 28 of the Venetian blind without any danger of getting the Venetian blind tapes 24 dirty. There will be no possibility of the cleaning cloth or cleaning nutten sweeping dirt or dust from the slats 28 onto the tapes 24 since those tapes are almost totally enclosed by the plates I0 and I2, and there will be no likelihood of the cleaning mitten or cleaning cloth directly engaging those tapes. As a result, the Venetian blind tapes 24 will remain clean even though the cleaning mitten and cleaning cloth is used carelessly, as is often the case.

When the slats 28 of the Venetian blind have been cleaned, the two folded plates I0 and I2 will be moved apart, as by rotating one of those plates about the pivot I4. Once the two plates I6 and I2 have been moved apart, those plates can be freed from the tapes 24 of the Venetian blind; the cut-away portion of plate IIJ above the first notch I6 facilitating assembly or separation of folded plate I5 and Venetian blind tape 24. The plates I3 and I2 of the cleaning device provided by the present invention will preferably be short enough to nt the shorest Venetian blinds.v When so dimensioned, those plates will be shorterv than the tapes of many Venetian blinds. HOW- ever, it is a simple matter to successively set the cleaning devices at different levels on the Venetian blind and successively clean the slats 2S at those various levels. It will be desirable to start at the top of the blind and work down. Where the Venetian blind has two tapes, four cleaning devices will be required; two for the front faces of the tapes, and two for the rear faces of the tapes.

Fig. 4 shows two flat plates 36 and 32 which are provided with notches 34 and 38 that are similar to the notches I 6 and 20 of the folded plates I0 and I2. The spacing and dimensioning of the notches 34 and 38 of the plates 30 and 32 will preferably be that of the notches IB and 20 of the folded plates I0 and I2. The notches 34 of the plate 36 will receive and telescope over the lefthand cross tapes of the Venetian blind tape 35, and the notches 38 of the plate 32 will receive and telescope over the righthand cross tapes of that Venetian blind tape. Projections 36 and 40 are provided at the outer and upper edges of the notches 34 and 38, and those projections are similar to the projections I8 and 22 of the folded plates I0 and I2. The notched edges of the plates 30 and 32 are insertible between the rear of tape 35 of a Venetian blind and the front of the slats, not shown, of that blind. The notched edges of the plates 30 and 32 will abut and will provide full and complete support for the tape 35. The outer portions of the plates 30 and 32 will extend over and overlie parts of the front of the slats of the Venetian blind and gagnera..

30.and 32 andthe tape and slats of the'Venetian:

blind to hold the. plates 3U and 32% in position. Once the plates `30/and132 Ahave been .used :to clean afpart .of a tape, those plates can be separated from. that'part of the tape and assembled' withY another part of that or another tape. It 'will usuallyy be desirable to startat the top of. each.

tape.- and Workidown. Toget at the'tapes of the. blind-which face the window, it may be desirable to lift. the blind oiT of its support and reverse itl before replacing it, Another way of accomplishing this would -be` to place twov nails in a joist inthe basement and suspend the blind: from those vvnails. It will usually be found that only two` plates 3Q' and V32 are neededfto clean'allof thetapes .of a Venetian: blind.

fFig. 5 shows two'hinged plates #324 and-44; each o` those. platesfconsisting of two portions that are held together by a piano-type hinge. The hinged plate 421 has spaced'notchesliihandr those notches have projections G8. at the outer, upper edges. thereof. The hinged-plate #llt has spaced, notches 50, and those notches have projections 52 adjacent the outer, upper edgesthereof. The spacingfofthe notchesl 46 and irwill be suchthat theA hinged plates 5B` and 152I can be used with. 'f

Venetian blind tapes having different spacings between their cross tapes. The spacing and.

dimensioning'of the notches andi ofhingedl plates 42. and hl will preferably be that of the: notches l and 2Q of the folded plates i9 and. I2.. The; folding plate l2 has a fastener 5.6 andathe.A folding plate 413 has afastener-E, andxthese fastenersjare complementary. As a result, those` fasteners canV secure together the wide portions" of the hinged plates il and Q5.

To use-theplates t2. and d, itis only necessary to place the notches e6' and. ilof those plates" in; registrywith the-cross tapes of a Venetian blind tapeand then insert the narrow portions ofthose plates between the rear, of ther Venetian blindk tape and the front of the slats of'. the blind.` Oncetha'tlhasbeen done, the tapeof vthe Venetian; blind canbe washed; the .wide portions of., thehingedplates' 112v and Mr can be rotated Vso one-ofthose portions overlies the other and sou both-of those portions overlietne front of the tape.` Sit lsuch time, the narrowfportions of plates 42- and 44 will constitute 'a'. protective sheath .for the rear-of the tape,.the wide .portions of thoseiplates will protect the front-.of thattape; and the hinges of those yplateswill protect the'. sidesfof- -that tape. A cleaningl mitten or' la: cleaning cloth can then bei passed overv the v.top andbottom surfaces ofthe slats Without any' dangerof getting the tape dirty.`

Figa showsa plate 58' that has`v the longituedinall-y-extending edges Eli thereof folded in= wardly toward `each other. 'lhe confronting edges Bwillbespaced apart adistance such that the edges 6 0 will abut the outer edges of the;v

cross tapesfof the Venetianblind'tape whileover.-

lying the outer edgesof the Venetian'blind;tape;

For example, with aVenetian blindtape that'. is:

oneiand one.. half (l1/2). inches Wide, the: over-al1. widthzofatheplate 58wi1l. bezslightly more than,

oneaand onelhalftl/Z) inches widev andthespace between thefconfrontingedges il willbe approximately one-and one eighth (1%) inches. edges --Gll'willbe close enough' tothe front of the plat'etoenabletheplate to frictionally. engage` the:frear: ofi the Venetian blind tape4 while thefrontof theplatefengages the front of the tape. 'Iheplate58-willV thus berable'to hold itself in positionzon the* tape. This. plate Awill enclose the front, thezsdes .and part ofthe rear of the tape whileth'e slats are'fbeing cleanedzwithacleaning mitten. or a4 cleaning cloth.

iWhereasiseveral preferredembodiments of the:

present invention. have. been shown andV described in the drawing; and accompanying description; it. should 'be apparent -tofthose skilled' infthe arttha'tVariouschanges may be made in. therfornrof the; invention withoutaiecting the4 scope thereof.

WhatIeclaimisL vik"protective.device `that is usable inthe cleaningfof-afVenetian blind; whichhas Vertical tapesl withfgoross ltapes and whichlhas slats supported bysaidcross tapes,tofoverlie the front andsides and'parts offthe'rearrofone of saidvertical tapes.

off saidvenetian blind-andthereby protect'said one vertical tape- Yfrom contact with cleaning implements during thesaid cleaning of said Venetian blind and that comprises'an elongated narrow surface that is registerable with but' widerfthan theffront of Vsaid-one vertical tape; rearwardly'extending surfaces that are narrower than*saidelongatednarrow surface but are wider thanthe'thcknessofisaid one `vertical tape, said rearwardly extending surfaces being contiguous with the sideedges'of said elongatedlnarrow surfacelan'd beingfregisterable-With the sides of said onevertical tape, and inwardly extending surfaces" that are contiguous Vwith the rear edges of said rearwardly extending "surfaces'and that are-v registerable lwith thel rear Ifaces of said sides of said one vertical tape, saidv inwardly extending" surfaces being' in confronting relation but being' spacedr aparta distancegreater than two 'thirds the width oi-said elongated'narrow surface, said inwardl'ylextending surfaces andsaid rearwardly' extending' surfaces and said elongated narrow' surface constituting ar continuous barrier'from the'rearfa'ce at one side-o' saidoneveitical tape, past thesaid' one-side of said/one vertical tape,v past thef'ront'of saidonevertical tape, andl past the-other sideoflsaidone'-Veitical*tape'to the rear .face-ois'aidother-side of said one vertical tape,

said inwardly extending surfaces simultaneously' engaging thefrear of said one vertical tape and the'front edges of said slats to maintain itself in assembled relation with said Venetian blind.

EDWARD HAUSAM.

REFERENCES CITED The.'following references are of record in the.' lewoithis patent.:

' UNITED STATES PATENTS Number .Name Date.

1,198,729- Lessing, .Eept.` 19, 1916 1,292,071 `Roe Jan. 21, 1919 134171,462 Wendt Apr. 4, 1922 1,846,228 Steien Feb; 23, 1932 25222;@92v Taylorv Nov. 26; 19.40

The 

